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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · file · firm · fan · wave · shower · degree · row

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — temperature
  5. firm — steady
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. degree — an amount
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. file — a line of people
  10. firm — decided
  11. file — a document
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. shower — to wash
  14. firm — a company
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — rain
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. file — a tool
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — with your hand

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com